


The More Things Change...

by BeaneCat



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Friendship, M/M, Shrimpshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 05:31:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14371947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeaneCat/pseuds/BeaneCat
Summary: “Why're you even friends wid dat guy?”A reflection on Weevil's place in Rex's life.





	The More Things Change...

**Author's Note:**

> Dang, my first submission here... and first fic I've managed to finish in quite some time. But I've been having major nostalgia feels for Rex and Weevil (and Yu-Gi-Oh in general) lately, and once this idea popped into my head the story demanded to be written! Really wanted to do my part for the Shrimpshipping community. :P Many thanks to [animeninjaNIPPON](https://archiveofourown.org/users/animeninjaNIPPON) for putting up with my excitement and uncertainty during the writing process. XD I hope you all enjoy the story!  
> Side notes: The story switches between present and past--you'll know the change by a little dash break. Also, a chunk of the beginning dialogue was taken verbatim from a Duel Links event (with very sliiiight punctuation changes).

“How ya expect me to solve these quizzes?! Us dinos aren't exactly known for our brains!”

It had to have been the twentieth time Rex Raptor had tried and failed to complete that particular Duel Challenge, though his brain had become so frazzled it was hard to keep track. Losing was a specific sore point with him, and today the failures were piling up one after another.

“Heya, Rex. Haven't beat dem quizzes either?”

Frustrated as he was, Rex hadn't realized there was someone standing right next to him—but of course he would recognize that voice anywhere. He turned to Joey Wheeler with sad eyes. “Of course not! Because I Duel by instinct, not with book smarts!” Rex gave a defeated sigh.

Joey just about beamed at him. “I know exactly how ya feel! I'm da same!”

“Joey...” Rex laughed. “We finally have something in common!”

It felt strange to find such common ground with a man Rex once considered his greatest enemy—but then, Rex didn't feel quite the same bitterness when it came to Joey anymore. It seemed that the sting of losing that fateful Duel and the disgrace that followed it had begun to fade over time. Of course, even back when the wounds were still fresh, Rex was generally able to keep his anger at bay. It was only when a certain blue-haired Duelist was around that he actually acted on his more resentful emotions...

“Tee hee hee hee hee! You still haven't found all the answers? What a duo of dunces!”

As if summoned by the mere thought, Weevil Underwood wedged his way into the small space between Joey and Rex, causing them both to take a step back to regain composure. “Weevil!” Joey put a fist up and glared down at the Bug Duelist, who was grinning smugly.

Rex mimicked Joey's stance. “Buzz off! You tellin' me that you solved them all?”

Weevil laughed again. “Of course!” He turned his nose up, not even deigning to look at his fellow Duelists. “Easier than stealing honey from a stingerless bee!”

“Whaaa?” Rex's arm fell back to his side, surprise clear on his face. He knew Weevil was smart, but it astounded him that even someone as clever as the Bug Duelist could master those Challenges—they were impossible!

“What's the commotion?” All eyes turned to behold the approach of Mako Tsunami, who halted before the trio with crossed arms. “How I long for the silence of the open waters...” he said with a frown, seemingly more to himself than anyone else.

“Mako! Buddy ol' pal!” Joey stepped forward. “You haven't solved 'em yet either, right?”

“Are you speaking of the Duel Quizzes?” Mako asked, smiling now. “Of course I have. Compared to facing the might of the ocean, such challenges are simple.”

Joey jumped back in surprise. “Whaaa? You can't be serious!” His face fell. “Aww man... I thought you were my friend. And friends stick together,” he finished with a pout.

“That's right!” Rex exclaimed, stepping back into the same angry stance he'd held a moment ago. “We're all supposed to fail together, like a pack of dogs!” His narrowed gaze shifted between Mako and Weevil. “You traitors!”

“I'm sorry...” Mako said, looking genuinely so for a moment—then his expression became irritated. “...Wait, no I'm not! Why must I be a loser too?!”

Weevil pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, looking offended. “I wouldn't be caught dead in any sort of pack with _you_ dimwits!” He glanced at Joey. “Besides, I only see _one_ dog here.”

Joey's attention snapped instantaneously to the Bug Duelist, whom he grabbed by the front of his shirt. “Who you callin' a dog ya little creep?!”

“Ah! R-Rex said it first!!”

“Enough of this foolishness,” Mako said, gaining everyone's attention yet again. He smiled at Joey. “Joey, if you desire coaching on these quizzes, I would be more than happy to lend you my aid.”

Joey released his grip on Weevil's shirt, either ignoring or not noticing as the shorter Duelist glared at him and soothed his mussed clothing. “For real? Aw, Mako buddy you're da best!”

Rex saw Weevil's eyes wander over to meet his. “Great, I suppose now _you'll_ be wanting help.”

“I would be happy to give our friend Rex a hand as well!” Mako offered heartily.

“Wha– I meant from me, fish bait!” Weevil snapped. He seemed a tad flustered all of a sudden. “Since when is Rex _your_ friend?”

Mako placed a fist against his chest, closing his eyes respectfully. “Rex Raptor and I have faced off in many honorable Duel Monsters battles over the years.” His eyes opened. “And for this, I would consider him a friend.”

Weevil scoffed, looking away disdainfully. “What a dumb concept of friendship. I've faced hundreds of Duelists and I don't consider them friends just because we _Dueled_.”

“Yeah, well it's not like you's got any friends besides, bug boy,” Joey butted in. The blond's gaze switched to Rex. “Well, 'cept Rex, I guess.”

Mako looked puzzled. “You two are friends?” he inquired. A hand came up to scratch his chin. “I do see you together a lot, but you are always arguing.”

“The status of my friendships is none of your beeswax!” Weevil snapped before Rex even had time to consider an answer. “Although I'm fine letting you know that I don't consider either of _you_ maggots my friends,” he glared at Mako and Joey, “so I'll be taking my leave to go find some Duelists more worthy of my presence.” With that, Weevil turned and walked off, laughing as he went.

“Jeez, some people just nevah change,” Joey remarked, watching Weevil go. He then turned excitedly back to Mako. “So, you'll help me out Mako?”

“Of course!” Mako looked to Rex. “Will you join us, Rex?”

“Hmm?” Rex looked over at his addressor; his gaze, and mind, had been on the person who just left. “Uh, nah, that's alright.” He grinned at them impishly. “I'll catch you Chumpasauruses later. Good luck drilling anything into Joey's thick skull.”

An indignant “Hey!” emerged from Joey, but Rex was already taking off in the same direction Weevil had gone. It was nice of Mako to offer and all, but the Dino Duelist already had somebody he knew he could count on for help.

—

Rex had known Weevil Underwood, or at least known _of_ him, longer than most people tended to realize.

When he was twelve, Rex's parents had divorced. He ended up living with his mother, but he would visit his father out of town on some weekends and holidays. Unfortunately, his father was a busy man, and they only really got to see each other at dinner, or briefly in the morning if Rex was lucky.

With nothing to do while his father was at work, Rex eventually started to explore the city. Most areas he encountered held nothing he was particularly interested in—more residences, office buildings, casual restaurants—but one day Rex happened upon a game store with large posters for Duel Monsters cards plastered in the windows. Curious to see if they had any Dinosaurs he could add to the small deck he'd cobbled together at home, he decided to enter the shop.

It was there that he first encountered Weevil.

Upon entering the store, Rex's attention was immediately drawn to a small mob of kids gathered around a table off to the side. Intrigued, he approached the spectacle, and found two kids embroiled in a Duel Monsters match.

One of the players snickered and pushed his thick-rimmed glasses further up his nose. “Your last ditch effort at defense is useless! For if I play Leghul in Attack Mode—” he placed a Monster— “and equip him with Laser Cannon Armor—” he placed a Spell— “I have just enough power to destroy you when I use Leghul's special ability to attack your Life Points directly!”

“Oh no!!” The second player clutched his hair as “ahhs” and “oohs” came from the spectators. The snickering Duelist took the match, and the audience clapped as the loser hung his head in defeat.

“Does anyone else want to Duel?” the winner asked, scanning the crowd. Blue eyes caught Rex's purple ones, and Rex could've sworn they lingered for a moment before skimming over the rest of the gathered game fans. “No? Well, I suppose that's enough for one day,” he concluded, gathering up his deck. The crowd parted to let him through, and Rex watched as the other boy exited the shop.

The few seconds he had beheld Weevil that day left an impression on Rex that he couldn't seem to shake. He came back to the shop the next time he was in town, and the time after that, and then every time after until it was routine. Weevil wasn't always playing, but those were always the matches Rex enjoyed watching most. It wasn't that he found Weevil's playstyle particularly interesting—there was so much Spell and Effect use, it was hard to keep up sometimes—but the other boy's entire presence while playing drew him in like a moth to a flame. Rex started bringing his own deck to participate in the games, but he could never quite bring himself to play when Weevil was around. Somehow, the timing just never felt right.

It was over a year before the two even directly spoke—but when they did, it was a fateful conversation.

As he did every other time he was in town, Rex entered the old game shop and checked to see who all was hanging in the Dueling area. Two kids were already in the middle of a game, and noting that neither of them was Weevil, Rex decided to peruse the shop for a bit. He was inspecting the art on a booster pack when someone spoke beside him.

“There's a pretty good Trap Card in that box.”

Rex jumped, accidentally dropping the booster pack in the process. His gaze snapped to the person who had spoken _,_ then to the pack on the floor, then back to the what his brain had finally registered as being Weevil Underwood. “Uh...” He hoped he didn't look as embarrassed as he suddenly felt.

“Goodness, you're jumpier than a grasshopper.” Weevil stooped to pick up the item Rex had so carelessly dropped, and held it out to him. Rex stared at the pack for a moment, before taking it gingerly from the other Duelist's hand.

“Thanks,” he said. “Uh, for picking that up, I mean. Not for callin' me a grasshopper.”

Weevil gave him strange look, head quirked slightly to the side. “What's wrong with being called a grasshopper? Not that I did call you a grasshopper, I said you were jumpier than one.”

“Oh, uh.” Rex couldn't believe he was screwing this up so badly. “Nothin' I guess? I just thought it would be weird to thank ya for it.”

Weevil didn't say anything. Rex swallowed as the other Duelist stared at him. Did he offend him? Or, was he being sized up?

Eventually, Weevil turned to the shelf of cards beside them, and Rex remembered to breathe again. He turned as well, placing the booster pack back where it belonged. He hoped the owner hadn't seen him drop it.

“You know...” Weevil spoke, immediately re-halting Rex's air intake. “Rex, isn't it? I've seen you fluttering around here for a long time now, but I've never actually witnessed you in a Duel.”

“Well, y'know,” Rex rubbed the back of his neck, trying to come up with some sort of reasonable answer. “I like just watching the Duels too. They're fun to watch.”

“They're more fun to play.” Weevil ran a finger over a card box on the shelf and grinned. “And they're most fun to win.” He turned his head slightly to look at Rex. “Is that why you never Duel me?”

“Huh?”

“The other kids talk. Apparently you always play whenever I'm not here. And you always _win_.” Weevil turned his entire body to face Rex now, hands behind his back and grin still plastered on his face. “Afraid you might lose your track record if you had to face a Duelist who actually knows what he's doing?”

Without thinking, Rex responded. “Of course not!” he snapped. “I could crush you any time I wanted!”

Weevil snickered. “Oh, is that right?”

“Yeah that's right!” Rex couldn't seem to stop digging this hole for himself. “In fact, that's _why_ I never asked to Duel you.” He netted his fingers behind his head and smirked. “My dinos would stampede over your insects no problem! It would be too easy.”

The grin on Weevil's face disappeared. “I'd like to see you try to take down my beautiful bugs!” he growled.

Rex's heart pounded in his chest. Was that an official challenge declaration? This couldn't be the day he finally faced Weevil Underwood in a Duel, could it? He hadn't mentally prepared!

Luckily, it suddenly seemed as though Weevil had thought up a different idea; his face became contemplative for a split second before a smug smile returned to his face. He leaned in towards Rex, which did nothing to help the brunet's pounding heart problem. “If you think you're so good, why don't you try entering the Regional Championship?” Weevil asked, his voice taking on a slightly more hushed tone.

Rex blinked at him. “The what?”

The Bug Duelist snickered once more. “The Regional Championship. It hasn't been officially announced yet, but the store owner told me about it. They're going to be holding official competitions in stores like this one to filter out the commoners, and all the worthy Duelists will get to participate in their region's Championship.” Weevil leaned in even closer, which was a surprising feat considering that Rex was also leaning forward at this point. “And apparently...” he continued, bringing a hand up near his mouth to provide further privacy to their conversation, “the Regional Champions will be gathered together to participate in a tournament to crown the National Champion!”

Weevil pulled back into a normal standing position. “So what do you say? Shall we settle this in the Regional Championship?”

Rex, who had been gaping, snapped his mouth shut. Regional Champion? _National_ Champion?? He was pretty confident in his abilities, but this all sounded so... high level. Was it really something he could handle? The gears turned furiously in Rex's head as Weevil looked on, awaiting an answer.

At last, Rex shook his head. “Nah. Can't do that.” Before Weevil could respond Rex took a step back, giving himself enough space to point a challenging finger right in the other Duelist's face. “We'll settle this in the _National_ Championship!”

Weevil stared at the finger that was pointed between his eyes. “What?”

“See, I ain't actually from around here.” Rex lowered his finger. “So I can't compete in the same Regional Championship as you.” The Dino Duelist grinned. “But that just means we get to face off for the title of National Champion!”

Weevil blinked at him, looking bewildered. “What do you mean you're not from around here? You don't live in the city?”

Rex blinked back; that hadn't really been the reaction he was expecting. “Uh, yeah. I live more out west.” He was a bit surprised Weevil hadn't picked that up from his dialect.

“Then why are you _here_ so often?”

Once or twice a month wasn't _that_ often was it? Rex buried his hands in his pockets, resisting the urge to look away in embarrassment. “I... got family out here.” There was no way he was going to tell Weevil his parents were divorced—he got enough flak for that back home.

Weevil regarded Rex, seeming to weigh the validity of the statement in his mind. After a long moment, the smug smile returned to his face, and he adjusted his glasses. “Well, this is even better!” he declared. “If you're really any good, you'll make it through your Regional Championship, and we'll have a showdown at the highest level!” Weevil held out a hand, staring straight into Rex's eyes. “Deal?”

Without breaking eye contact, Rex clasped the offered hand in his own. “Deal.”

They shook.

With a determination unlike any he'd felt before, Rex kept his promise and powered through to the top of his own Regional Championship. He wasn't surprised when Weevil also became a Regional Champion, nor when they ultimately faced off in the final Duel of the National Championship. It felt like fate.

Rex supposed then, that it was also fate for him to lose. It would explain why, while not happy, he was oddly okay with the loss. Of course, he wasn't given much time to dwell on it either, since the match had barely concluded before he was officially invited to another tournament: Duelist Kingdom.

When the day arrived to set sail for Pegasus' island, Rex sought Weevil out first thing, and they boarded the boat together. Weevil was still gloating over his win in the Nationals and Rex casually jabbed back, claiming he went easy on Weevil and that they would have a _real_ Duel in the new tournament finals.

Despite essentially declaring a rivalry the first time they spoke, the two of them had immediately taken to hanging around each other whenever possible, such that it had practically become force of habit. Rex was surprised just how naturally they played off of each other, and despite the fact that they largely volleyed insults, it gave him a comforting feeling.

It was perhaps because of this feeling that Rex ended up knocking on Weevil's door after he had been kicked out of his own room by Mai Valentine.

The moment his knuckles hit the fine wood, Rex started to have second thoughts. Sure, hanging around Weevil felt familiar, but was that enough to justify suddenly showing up and asking to sleep on the guy's couch? It's not like they'd actually been hanging out for all that long... Was it too weird to ask such a thing at this point? Would it be too weird at _any_ point?

What if Weevil didn't actually feel the same familiarity between them that he did?

Before Rex could commit to bolting down the hallway and pretending he was never there, Weevil opened the door. The Bug Duelist seemed to be in a good mood, a grin already plastered on his face when he came into view. “Rex? What do you want?” He snickered. “Did Dinosaur Boy have a bad dream?”

Rex growled, but managed to swallow his creative comeback of “Shut up, Weevil!” If the other boy was in a good mood, maybe it would help Rex's chances of getting his request granted. “Look, Weevil, this is kinda weird so I'm just gonna come out and say it.” Rex put down his bag of belongings and pressed his palms together, raising them over his bowed head. “Can I crash with you tonight?”

There was no response for a good moment, so Rex dared to look up. He was met with a blank expression. “I mean, just on your couch or something,” he clarified, realizing that his wording could have been more specific.

“O-of course you meant that!” Weevil snapped abruptly. He turned his face away, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “It's not like I thought you were asking to share a bed or something. That would be completely stupid!”

Well, there went the good mood—but Rex couldn't back out now. “So can I?” He grinned in a way he hoped was charming.

Weevil glared at him out of the corner of his eye. “What happened to _your_ room, fossil brain?”

Crap. Rex _really_ didn't feel like admitting he got kicked out after losing a Duel. “It's, ah... I lost my key?”

“Then go ask one of the staff to open it for you!”

“I don't wanna bother them!”

“But bugging me is perfectly alright?” Weevil finally turned his face back to Rex. “You stink at lying, Raptor. That's why you lost our Duel: you couldn't bluff your way out of a cobweb!” He glanced off to the side. “Well, one of the reasons.”

“Come on Weevil, please?” Rex begged. “Don't make me scrounge for space out there with all those chumps!”

Weevil crossed his arms and leaned against the door jamb, tapping his foot. “And what's in it for me?”

Of course, doing a guy a solid just wasn't good enough for Weevil. “Um...” Rex wracked his brain to come up with some sort of compensation, but he wasn't sure what exactly Weevil _wanted_. Maybe he should just ask that? “I dunno, whaddya want?”

Weevil pursed his lips contemplatively. After a moment, his still tapping foot came to a stop, and he grinned. “A card.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” He pushed himself off the door jamb, arms still crossed. “If you give me a good card, I might let you in.”

Rex stared at Weevil in disbelief. Give him a card? They were on their way to Duel in a tournament on some island in the middle of nowhere—Rex needed every card in his deck! No, he wouldn't give up a single one, not even if Weevil offered him sole use of the bed.

“Forget it.” Rex leaned down and picked his bag up by the draw string, slinging it over his shoulder. Really, what had he been expecting? Resigning himself to a night cramped in with a bunch of strangers, he started walking away.

“Okay, okay, wait!”

Rex stopped. _Now_ what was Weevil playing at? He turned to find that the other Duelist had actually stepped out of the doorway, and... was holding the door open. Invitingly.

“It was just a joke, jeez!” Weevil had a defiant hand on his hip, but he wasn't making direct eye contact with Rex. “I guess I shouldn't be surprised that your ant-sized brain can't comprehend humor.”

Rex blinked at him. It sure hadn't _seemed_ like a joke. “Really?”

“Get in here before I change my mind!” Weevil snapped. He glanced around. “And before anyone sees you!”

Rex beamed at him. “I knew I could count on you, Weevil!” He'd known no such thing, but it had all worked out in the end, right?

“You owe me one,” Weevil grumbled as Rex walked past him into the room. “And if you buzz about this to a single soul, I'll make you regret the day you were born!”

Despite the sleeping conditions and vengeful thoughts against Mai still floating around in his head, Rex slept surprisingly well that night.

—

Rex braced himself as a blast of wind tore past, a rapid beeping noise signaling the end of his life points. When the abrupt gust had ended and he lowered his arms from in front of his face, he couldn't help but wince as he looked at his celebrating opponent.

“All right!” Some feet away, Joey Wheeler pumped his fist into the air victoriously. “I won!”

Rex's posture deflated. “I can't believe I lost to this bozo!” he grumbled sadly. It was far from the first time, but Rex had really thought he had a chance today. Finally beating those Duel Quizzes had put him in a confident mood, and in fact the Duel had been going entirely in his favor—until...

“Good ol' Red-Eyes!” Joey smiled at the card he now held in his hand. “I knew I could count on you buddy.”

Of course, it just had to be _that_ card he lost to. Rex straightened himself, attempting to push down the sting of the defeat. “Enjoy this victory while you can, Joey! I let my guard down 'cuz I was winning—you won't be so lucky next time!”

Joey looked up from his card. “Dat's why ya nevah underestimate your opponent, Rex,” the blond said, placing Red-Eyes on top of his deck and moving to shuffle the rest of his cards back in. “A Duel can turn around in a single turn, 'specially when you're facin' somebody tough.” Joey moved his now free hand to the back of his head, and grinned sheepishly. “Dat's why I always gotta make sure I'm on my A game when I'm Duelin' wid you, Rex. You're one a the toughest Duelists I know!”

Rex, who had been huffing at what he deemed to be condescending advice, lost his frustrated expression to one of surprise. “I am? I-I mean of course I am!” He quickly attempted to regain his composure, crossing his arms and closing his eyes with a smirk. “Me an' my dinos are unstoppable! If you knock us down, we'll get right back up again and power through!”

“Y'know, I admire dat about you Rex.” The Dino Duelest opened his eyes to find Joey giving him a friendly smile. “Ya always do spring right back up and keep movin' forward. Dat's da way ta be!”

Rex felt his cheeks heat up, and desperately hoped it either wasn't visible, or that Joey couldn't tell from that distance. “Well, y'know–” Rex pretended to be interested in the digital sky above them. “–you're kinda the same aren't you? You never give up, even when somebody's got you on the ropes.” He blinked, then brought his gaze back down. “Huh. I guess that means we have another thing in common, doesn't it?”

A grin returned to Joey's face. “Seems like we really are a lot more alike den I realized. Ya know, maybe we should hang out more often!”

A stampede of thoughts came rushing across Rex's mind. Hang out? With _Joey Wheeler_? How would that work? What would they do? Would his other friends be involved?

Why didn't Rex immediately say no? Why, in fact, did it not even seem like that bad of an idea to him?

Rex looked down and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ground his uncertain thoughts. “Well... y'know, maybe–”

“Like he'd ever want to hang out with a pest like you!”

Rex's attention snapped over to find a form he knew very well stomping towards them. “Weevil?”

“Weevil!” Joey glared. “Where'd you come from ya little creep?”

Weevil stopped just slightly in front of Rex, facing Joey with his hands on his hips. The stance was almost... protective. “After everything you've done to Rex, where do you get off acting all friendly?”

“Ya mean winning his Red-Eyes fair n' square and protectin' myself when he tried ta steal my _soul?_ ” Rex looked away at this. “Dat all happened years ago. Y'know, _normal_ people can forgive each otha for stuff, Weevil.”

“Rex could never forgive you!” Weevil snapped. “So stop trying to sucker him into your little group of gnats and buzz off!”

Rex shuffled his feet. “Uh, Weevil...”

“What?” Weevil turned as sharply as he'd spoken, but Rex noticed his expression soften just slightly as their eyes met.

“It's really not that big a deal.” Rex found himself rubbing his neck again. “You don't hafta make a scene about it.”

“Wha–“ For a split second, Weevil's face fell; then just as quickly, it returned to anger. “I'm not _making_ a _scene_!”

“Ya kinda are bug boy,” Joey interjected, looking to the side. Indeed, Rex found that a cursory glance around revealed some people were beginning to stare.

Weevil took note as well. “What are you snails gawking at?” he yelled, causing some of the more jittery Duelists to jump and scurry off. He then turned back to Joey. “I don't know how you expect to get anywhere in Duel Monsters if you don't know how to deal with a crowd,” he sneered. Then, as he so often did, Weevil snickered. “But if you're _that_ bad with people, I suppose I'll throw you a bone and take my leave. I don't want to hang around you dunces for too long anyway, lest my IQ drop just from being near you.”

“Why you little...” Joey growled as Weevil began walking away. “Yeah dat's right, run away ya termite! I'd wipe da floor wi– whoa Rex, where ya goin'?”

Rex glanced over at Joey, but said nothing as he followed after Weevil. Neither did Weevil acknowledge him as they weaved their way past meandering Duelists and card games in progress, away from people. As they walked, Rex thought. And when they reached an area where no one else seemed to be around, Rex decided maybe he should voice those thoughts.

“Weevil...”

No sooner had the name left his mouth than its owner wheeled to face him, pointing a finger angrily in his face. “I cannot _believe_ you!”

“What?” Rex's hands came up in an instinctive pose of defense. “What did I do?”

“After everything he's done to you—after he had _just_ defeated you with the rare card he took from you back in Duelist Kingdom—you were about to agree to hang out with _Joey Wheeler_!”

“I– I wasn't–” Rex blinked. “Wait were you watching our Duel?”

“Don't change the subject!” Weevil hissed. “How could you even _think_ of hanging out with that worm?”

“I didn't say I was gonna hang out with him! He just _asked_!”

“ _But you thought about it!_ ” Weevil moved to poke Rex in the chest with his last three words. “I saw you standing there _considering_. Why didn't you shut him down _immediately_?”

Rex sighed, deflating slightly. “Weevil, y'know... Joey isn't really that bad of a guy.”

The moment the words left Rex's lips, he realized he should have thought about them longer. Weevil reacted as though Rex had slapped him in the face, staring at him incredulously and taking a few steps back.

“I-I mean, he's not wrong, is he? All that stuff happened a long time ago, and he _did_ win the card fair and square...” Weevil's frozen expression pushed Rex to keep talking, as though he could possibly say anything that would mitigate the damage. “I'm just—not so mad at him anymore. It's not like he _made_ people start heckling me after I lost to him, people just suck!” A hand came up to rub his neck yet again as he glanced away. “And you know, Joey and I actually got more in common than I–”

With no warning, two hands shoved Rex roughly to the ground with a strength he didn't know their owner possessed. “Ow! Weevil what the–” He looked up angrily, only to stop when he saw the expression on the other Duelist's face.

He looked... hurt.

“This is the _last_ time I try to help you out, Raptor.” Weevil growled down at him. “From now on you can go to your new buddy _Wheeler_.”

Before Rex could respond Weevil stepped back and logged himself out of the Duel World, disappearing in a small glitch of pixels.

—

Rex sat dejectedly at a table outside a food joint in Domino City, face half buried in his arms. He stared at the food in front of him, touched once then left to fall to average temperatures long ago, and did his best to block out the noise of Dueling that pervaded the city.

This might have been one of the worst days of his life. Knocked out of the Battle City Tournament in his first Duel, losing his rarest card, to a cheater! And then who should come along and not only expose that cheat, but beat him? The guy who had knocked Rex out of the Duelist Kingdom Tournament, and took what had been his rarest card at the time!

These occurrences alone would have been enough to put Rex in a sour mood for days, but that hadn't been the end of it. After the whole Espa Roba business, Rex realized that his mom had tried to call him at some point while he was focused on Dueling, leaving a voice message. Normally he would have been happy to hear from her, but the contents of her message had not been welcome news.

She was getting remarried.

Rex had listened with growing despair to his mother's happy voice, explaining how she was so excited she just had to call him immediately. Later, Rex would bitterly think to himself that it was the most prompt she'd been in acknowledging him since she and her now fiancé had started seeing each other.

He wasn't a bad man. He seemed to care about Rex's mother, but he and Rex could never quite find common ground; eventually, instead of trying, he would more often opt to just ignore the teenager. Rex felt as though he was just part of a package deal that his soon-to-be step-father had to put up with to stay around his mom.

Rex wanted to be happy for her, and somewhere deep inside he was—but ever since their divorce, some perhaps childish part of him had always hoped his parents would get back together. He couldn't help longing for the days when they were an unbroken family, despite how long ago it had really been. Now, it seemed as though that secret wish was well and truly dashed forever.

Even running into Weevil hadn't done much to lift Rex's mood. The Dino Duelist had to explain how he'd already fallen out of the tournament, and after that Weevil simply took off. That had to have been a couple of hours ago, at least.

Rex wasn't really keeping track of the time.

A fly hovered around Rex's cold burger before landing gingerly on the top. Rex watched it swiftly wringing his hands, not caring enough to shoo it away. One of them may as well be happy.

“There you are!”

Rex jumped in his seat. While the fly fled to the other end of the table, Rex flipped his attention from side to side before being smacked in the back of the head, nearly losing his beanie in the process.

“Oww!” Chair legs screeched against the concrete as Rex leapt up to face his assailant, pulling his upset beanie back down as he did so. “What was that for?!”

To Rex's surprise, the face he found himself glaring into belonged to a sniffling Weevil Underwood.

This wasn't an unprecedented phenomenon for Rex. He'd found over time that Weevil tended to get a bit blubbery over even minor offenses, if he found himself with no other way to combat them. Even so, the red eyes and runny nose called for Rex's attention, because it meant that something, no matter how small, _had_ gone wrong.

“Th-this is all your fault!” Despite the large sniff that punctuated his statement, Weevil seemed to be doing his best to appear intimidating. Granted, it wasn't a bad effort considering his state.

“What's my fault?” Fingers still clutching his headwear, Rex's expression radiated bafflement. “What the heck did I do? All I've done today is lose a Duel and eat a burger!” And he hadn't even managed to finish the latter.

“You dragged me down with you!” Weevil brought his hands up as if he were to bury his face in them at any moment. “I lost my Locator Cards and my–” His face fell further into despair. “My–!” And there his face went into his hands. “My Quee-hee-heen!”

Rex stared at Weevil sobbing into his hands and attempted to piece together this information in his head. His Queen... His Insect Queen? It was one of Weevil's rarest cards, and he was quite proud of it. If the Bug Duelist lost both his Locator Cards _and_ one of his rarest Monsters, then that must have meant he lost a Duel and dropped out of the tournament.

It wasn't actually an irrational reason to cry, but...

“How is that my fault?!” Rex rubbed the back of his head, still feeling the sting of being struck. “I didn't force you to Duel anybody, ant brain!”

Weevil sniffed a few times, looking up at Rex through his tears. Rex hated that the sight softened his frustration at the other Duelist. “You may as well have!” Weevil pushed an arm under his glasses to wipe tears on his sleeve. “If you weren't acting so bummed out earlier, I never would have challenged a lowly worm like Wheeler in the first place!”

The comment threw Rex off guard, and he had to take a few seconds to convince himself he'd heard it correctly. Moving past the initial shock of realizing that the person Weevil must have lost to was _Joey Wheeler_ , Rex thought back to when he'd run into Weevil before. He _had_ complained about Wheeler when he mentioned losing to Roba, but Weevil had promptly left after it was brought up; Rex had assumed the Bug Duelist either didn't want to waste time with someone no longer in the tournament, or was just sick of hearing about how much resentment Rex held towards the Duelist Kingdom runner-up. Now, however, things were starting to click into place.

“You challenged Joey Wheeler... to make me feel better?” Rex asked softly.

Weevil seemed surprised at Rex's sudden change in tone. “Y-you don't have to make it seem so sappy!” he said after a moment, turning his face away. “Your misery was just really distracting! In fact, that's the only reason I lost against Wheeler—I couldn't stop thinking about _you_!”

The tone of his voice had implied the words to be accusatory, but the words themselves betrayed something much kinder in Weevil's intentions. Weevil himself seemed to realize this a moment after he spoke them, if his expression was anything to go by. “I-I mean–” Weevil shook his head furiously before turning back to Rex with a face that seemed a tad redder than it had a second ago. “This is all your fault!!”

But Rex had no reaction for the repeated accusation. He couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Weevil Underwood, who seemed to care for nothing but his insects and winning, had seen how upset Rex was and made an effort to cheer him up. For as long as he'd been acquainted with the other Duelist, Rex had never known Weevil to go out of his way to do something kind for _anyone_. This was different than something like sharing his room on the boat to Duelist Kingdom—Weevil's only prompting this time had been his own reaction to Rex's despondence.

It made Rex feel... almost special.

“Well?” Weevil's voice snapped Rex back out of his musings. “Are you going to take responsibility, or are you going to just stand there like a metamorphosing cicada?”

Rex actually laughed, another tonal shift that Weevil had not seemed prepared for. “How about I buy you a milkshake?” the Dino Duelist suggested with a grin.

“A milkshake is hardly enough to make up for the loss of my–” Weevil's face fell again, and he sniffled. “My sweet Insect Queen...”

“It's a start though, isn't it?” Rex looked to the food establishment they stood in front of, then back to Weevil, still grinning. “Come on, they've got this huge mint chocolate chip one I know you'd get a kick out of.”

Weevil seemed to consider this, looking towards the building himself. “Well...” he said, sniffling yet again. He crossed his arms and glanced over at Rex. “A milkshake _would_ be nice.”

“All right then!” Rex laughed and swung an arm around Weevil's shoulders, ignoring the shorter boy's protests and pushing him towards the building's entrance.

Rex was feeling so much better already.

—

“Stupid shop...!”

Rex kicked an empty can as he made his way aimlessly down a quiet street in Domino City, hands in his pocket and head down. He'd come to the city seeking a limited booster box sale—or rather, a single card within that booster box—but of course the shop had completely run out by the time Rex had gotten there.

“What's so great about Domino City anyway?” Rex grumbled to himself. He swore, Industrial Illusions showed far too much favoritism toward the place; there was always some amazing or exclusive piece of Duel Monsters merchandise being stocked in the shops of Domino. Sighing, the downcast Duelist decided to take a break on a nearby bench.

As he sat down, Rex fished his phone out of his pocket. He knew it was a useless effort, but he couldn't help checking to see if Weevil had left him any sort of message. They'd had no correspondence in the weeks since that incident in the Duel World, despite Rex's attempts to reach out. He really wanted to work things out between them, but couldn't stomach the thought of just leaving his feelings in a message—ever since Battle City, he'd held very staunch feelings on such matters. He wanted to _receive_ such messages even less , but any word from Weevil would have been welcomed at this point.

Unfortunately, as expected, there had been no activity on Weevil's end. Rex sighed, holding his phone between both hands and leaning back against the bench with closed eyes.

“Oi! Rex Raptor, izzat you?”

Rex opened his eyes. Just a few feet away, holding a few shopping bags and looking just as surprised to see Rex as Rex was to see him, stood Joey Wheeler.

“Whoa, it is you!” Joey had started making his way over now; Rex put his phone away and made more space on the bench as he approached. “Whaddaya here for?” he asked as he sat down.

“Cards,” Rex responded, putting his elbows up on the backing of the bench. He glanced at the bags Joey was carrying, noting one of them sported the logo of the same game shop he'd just been to. “Looks like you were out for the same reason,” he remarked.

“Huh? Oh yeah, dis!” Joey pulled the offending bag into his lap. “I had ta run a few errands anyways, so I couldn't help poppin' into tha shop. Apparently I got da last couple a dose special packs dey was sellin'!” He turned to Rex and laughed almost nervously, despite how big his grin was. “Don't tell Yugi's Grandpa! He'd have my head if he knew I went to a diff'rent game shop!”

Rex tried very hard not to look mad, though he was sure he must have appeared at least suddenly disgruntled. Of _course_ Joey had managed to just pop in and get the last few exclusive packs the shop had. That was just his luck, wasn't it? Both Joey's and Rex's.

Joey snapped his fingers. “Oh hey, I bet you were lookin' for dat Dino what was in this pack, huh?” The blond fished around in his bag before pulling out an opened booster pack, and then a card from within it. He showed it to Rex. “Dis one?

Rex narrowed his eyes at the card, just about ready to throttle its handler right then and there. Not only had Joey gotten the last few packs, but he also got the _specific card_ that Rex had wanted. Rex turned his gaze away, lest his frustration overtake him. “Yeah, that's it,” he managed to respond.

“Here den.”

Rex looked back over. Instead of holding it up for him to see, Joey was now holding the card out to him, as though he wanted Rex to take it. “You c'n have it.”

Rex stared wide-eyed at the card, then turned his gaze up to Joey. The other Duelist was looking him right in the eye, giving another one of those friendly smiles he'd shared after their last Duel. “A-are you serious?”

“Absolutely.” Joey's hand and gaze were unwavering. “It's not somethin' I really need, and I know you'll take good care of it Rex.”

Rex gingerly took the card from Joey's hand, staring at it reverently. Suddenly he looked up. “At least let me trade you something for–“

“Nope, don't even think about it.” Joey cut in, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “It's a gift! Just promise me you'll Duel me wid it sometime,” he said with a grin.

Rex gazed back down at the card in awe. “You got it,” he promised. He and Joey both turned their bodies forward, sitting for a moment in the comfortable silence that had descended over them.

A buzzing noise was suddenly heard, and in one swift motion Rex's phone was out in front of him. After seeing it was just his mother sending him a check-up text, Rex let out a disappointed breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

“You, uh, expectin' a call from somebody?” Rex turned his attention to Joey, who was now leaning away from him looking slightly perturbed. Rex realized he must have startled him with his sudden grab for the phone.

Hunching his shoulders, Rex hesitated. He could say no, but at this point it would be an obvious lie. On the other hand, was the truth really something he should be bringing up with Joey Wheeler, of all people? Should he just brush off the question? How long could he stretch the lie if he gave a name other than the one he kept checking for?

Eventually, Rex sighed, the stiffness of his posture going slack. “I was hopin' it was Weevil,” he said quietly, looking back down at his phone.

“...Ah.” For once, it seemed as though Joey was at a loss for words. A silence settled over them again, somewhat less comfortable this time.

“Y'know, Rex...” Joey spoke after a moment. Rex looked over to find the other Duelist looking away, a hand on his neck. “I don't wanna seem rude, but dis has been on my mind for a while.” His eyes moved to meet Rex's. “Why're you even friends wid dat guy?”

The question took a good moment to sink in, and even once it had Rex didn't respond. All he could do was stare at Joey incredulously.

The blond turned his face fully toward him now, looking concerned. “Most a what you guys seem ta do is argue, and ya've always been a much nicer dude when he ain't around.” Joey's gaze moved away again, as he brought a hand up to rub the back of his head. “All the crazy stuff I've seen ya do over tha years... only happened when Weevil was around ta do it with you.”

“Maybe I'm not the nice guy you seem to think I am, ever thought about that?” Rex hadn't meant for the words to come out so sharp, but they'd snapped forth before he'd had a chance to blunt them. He looked away just as Joey looked back again.

“Maybe...” He hesitated a moment, but as always, couldn't seem to stop himself from continuing. “Maybe the person I am around Weevil, maybe that's the real me, huh? Somebody I can only be around him.” Rex gave a small smile, despite himself. “Maybe that ain't actually a good thing. But I don't care.” He looked up now, straight ahead, into the distance. “Weevil's a real friend to me in a lotta ways people don't seem to see. Maybe they _can't_ see. I dunno.” His gaze moved to the ground in front of him. “But there's nobody in the world I'd rather be around than him.”

Silence enveloped them again. Rex knew he should have been concerned that he'd given what he was realizing to be rather private information to Joey Wheeler, but somehow he didn't really care. All he could think about was how he wished he could have been saying it to a specific someone else.

Eventually, Joey sighed. “Well Rex, I can't say I undastand it completely. But it's not like I'm gonna try ta force ya ta stop bein' friends with him or anything. I was just curious is all.”

“Well,” Rex said, “now you know, I guess.” The brunet stood, turning to face Joey. “I should probably get going.” He looked down at the newly gifted card in his hand. “Thanks for card, Joey, seriously. You saved my trip from being a Jurassic waste of time.”

Joey grinned at him. “See Rex? You are a nice guy, whatevah you say.”

Rex smiled back. “Whatever.” He turned around. “Catch ya later, Chumpasaurus.”

“You too, Rexy.”

Rexy? Okay, Rex would let that slide this time. But just this one time, for sure! Making his way once more down the streets of Domino City, the Dino Duelist pulled out his phone.

This time, he needed to call his father.

—

“Great, so _now_ what?”

Rex and Weevil sat together on a bench in a park they couldn't name, in a city they didn't know, in a country where they didn't even live. After waking up in the hospital they'd promptly checked themselves out of the premises, but it wasn't long before they realized that there wasn't much place else to go.

“I can't believe this. No revenge... no God Cards...” Suddenly Weevil stiffened, then frantically stuck his hands into the pockets of his shorts. He gave a sigh of relief as he pulled out his deck. “At least I still have my precious insects. I wonder if the cards I got from Dartz are still in here...”

Rex stared as Weevil sifted through his cards, his brain only half acknowledging the words and actions. The past few days had been completely insane, and Rex felt as though he needed a moment to process. Stowing away on a flight to America, joining some crazy villain organization, losing his _soul_... If it hadn't all happened to him, he wouldn't have believed a moment of it.

“Are you even listening?” Rex was pulled from his thoughts by Weevil's voice. The other boy looked quite unhappy that he was apparently being ignored—or possibly because it looked like Rex was unabashedly staring at him. “Did losing your soul give you brain damage or something?”

Weevil's expression became suddenly more curious than angry. “Wait, it _didn't_ , did it?” He raised a finger and moved it from one end of Rex's vision to the other. When Rex simply stared blankly ahead at his face, Weevil pushed his hand forward and popped up two more fingers. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“I don't have brain damage!” Rex snapped, pushing the fingers out of his face. At least, he didn't think he did. How would he know? The brunet let out a sigh. “It's just... been a seriously weird week. Can you blame me for being kinda run down?”

Yet that was only half the truth. There was something else commanding Rex's attention, something hazy in the back of his mind that he could feel pushing forward whenever he looked at Weevil. Rex couldn't say he remembered much after he'd lost his Duel against Joey, but since they'd left the hospital he was beginning to recall hearing a voice; someone calling out to him to remember...

“I suppose not,” Weevil grumbled, sitting back against the bench. He looked up at the sky with his hands folded in his lap, and sighed. “Well if you don't have any ideas on how to get home, I guess I'll have to call my father. I'm sure he could at least get us plane tickets...”

Something like panic shot through Rex's gut. “Whoa, wh-who says we have to go home right away?” He was suddenly on his feet, facing Weevil with a nervous smile. “I mean, how often are we in America?” He looked around. “There's gotta be something interesting going on around here. W-we could check out the sights!”

When he glanced back at Weevil, Rex saw the other boy was staring at him as though he'd gone insane. “Are you _sure_ you don't have brain damage?”

Rex was suddenly very embarrassed by his sudden outburst. Feeling his face heat up, he looked away. “It would just be kind of a waste to head straight home, wouldn't it? We got here for free, after all.”

“Rex, our money's going to run out eventually, and you _barely understand English_.”

“Y-yeah...” Rex turned to Weevil with that grin he always hoped was charming enough to win the Bug Duelist over. “But I've got you, don't I? You're pretty good at English.”

“I'm not your personal translator, Raptor,” Weevil grumbled, folding his arms and looking away from Rex's attempt at charm. “Honestly, you're acting like you don't even _want_ to go home.”

The words caused a lump to form in Rex's throat. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground, scuffing his shoe against the pavement.

“...Hold on, do you _actually_ not want to go back?”

Rex hadn't wanted to go home since before Battle City concluded; it was why he had been aimlessly wandering Domino City the day after the tournament, before he ran into Weevil and they Dueled that creep in the cloak. What did he have to go home to? His mother would be preparing for a wedding he didn't want to acknowledge was even happening, and his father had already been downcast and distracted since his ex-wife started seeing someone new; how much worse would he get when he heard she was getting remarried?

When Rex was with Weevil, all those problems faded into the background. No matter what they were doing, if it was Dueling, or bickering, or flying across the ocean on an ill-informed journey to obtain rare cards—being around Weevil made Rex happy.

“Isn't it... kinda nice to be hanging out like this?” Rex eventually responded. “We usually only see each other maybe once or twice a month, and we hafta work around our schedules...” Rex finally looked up, though not yet at Weevil. “But right now, we're free to do whatever we want. We already dropped everything back home, I guess I just... wanted to make the most of that, before we have to go back and face the music.”

They remained in silence for a good moment, the unknown city bustling dimly around them. Rex couldn't bring himself to look at Weevil until the other boy finally spoke again.

“I suppose...” Weevil had his face turned down and away, one hand on the bench and the other pushing at the bridge of his glasses. He raised his head slightly when his words trailed off, and Rex swore he could see the faintest of reds coloring his cheeks. “...It won't kill us to stay a while longer. Did you actually have any activities in _mind_?”

Rex didn't think he could have grinned harder if he tried. “We'll find _some_ thing to do!” As long as Weevil was with him, it didn't matter what.

It was at that moment that a piece of paper skitted across the ground toward the two Duelists on a light breeze, coming to rest on the ground between them. The KaibaCorp logo was instantly recognizable as they both stared down at the sudden intruder to their conversation.

Rex bent down and picked it up. He vaguely noticed Weevil hop off the bench as he looked the paper up and down, turning it slightly this way and that. “...I can't read this.”

“Give me that you nitwit.” Weevil snatched the item out of Rex's hands, but there was no malice behind the action. He adjusted his glasses and took a look at the paper. “It says that the first American Kaiba Land is going to celebrate its grand opening... by holding a Duel Monster's tournament?” Suddenly he grasped the paper with both hands. “With the best Duelists from around the globe? Then why weren't we invited?!” Weevil lowered the paper harshly from in front of his face. “This is an outrage!”

As Weevil fussed in indignation, the gears in Rex's head were turning; it wasn't long before the next course of action became obvious to him. “Of course!” The Dino Duelist exclaimed, pounding a fist into his palm. He grinned when Weevil looked over at him. “If they didn't invite us, then we're just gonna have to invite ourselves, aren't we?”

Weevil blinked at him, then grinned back. “Of course! It's not a proper tournament without us!” The grin turned quickly into a frown. “Hold the phone, how are we supposed to get to Kaiba Land? We don't even know where we are!”

“I'm sure it can't be too far away. Probably just a short stroll. Why else would this flier be here?” Rex clapped Weevil on the back, causing the other boy to trip forward slightly. Weevil glared at him while readjusting his glasses, but Rex's grin didn't waver. “The Kaiba Land opening is a big deal, isn't it? I'm sure we could ask anybody and get directions!”

Weevil huffed. “You mean _I_ could ask anyone, Mr. Doesn't Know English.” He looked up thoughtfully. “Well, I suppose it's worth a shot, anyway.” The Bug Duelist folded the tournament flier into squares, then stuck it in his pocket for safe keeping. “We'll probably need a map. Come on, let's see if we can find anyone who can point us towards a library or a police station.”

Rex was surprised when Weevil grabbed his hand and started pulling him along.

Feeling the warmth of their hands pressed together, Rex suddenly realized why the memory of that voice had been pushing so strongly whenever he looked at his companion. The voice had told him to remember those he cared about, those who helped him; what he fought for and why he never gave up.

And for each and every one, Rex had thought of Weevil.

—

Twilight descended peacefully over the city as Rex lied in wait outside a familiar old game shop. He'd had little doubt that the person he was seeking would be there, but upon arrival he'd still glanced cautiously through the windows, just to be sure. Indeed, Weevil was inside the shop, inspecting card boxes. Rex wondered if he was actually browsing, or just trying to look busy so he wouldn't be kicked out.

Whatever the reason, closing time came eventually, and Weevil was the absolute last customer to leave the shop. The Bug Duelist was so distracted that he took no notice as Rex approached him, until the other party spoke.

“Figured I'd find you here.”

Had he not been there for rather serious reasons, Rex would have laughed at Weevil's comically surprised reaction. After jumping back with a strangled yell, the young man clutched at his chest as though he'd nearly experienced a heart attack, and stared at Rex with round eyes. “Wha– How– What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you, dummy,” Rex responded.

Weevil glared. “I thought I told you to go bother somebody else with your problems,” he hissed. Straightening himself, he turned disdainfully away and began to walk. Rex followed.

“Weevil, would you just listen to me?” Rex tried to get slightly ahead, but Weevil just walked faster. “You're being completely unreasonable about all this.”

“ _I'm_ being unreasonable?” Weevil stopped dead in his tracks to seethe at Rex. “ _You_ are the one who decided to become bed buds with one of our _arch nemeses_! I thought we both hated Joey Wheeler, but I guess that was all a lie!”

Rex covered his face with his hands, letting out an extended groan to the sky. “I wasn't _lying_ about that you stupid beetle brain!” How could Weevil be so smart, yet so dumb sometimes? “I used to _despise_ Wheeler! But things change! Feelings change!”

“Then you can just buzz off and leave me alone!” Weevil snapped back. “If your feelings for _Wheeler_ of all people did a 180, what else about you is going to change? I'm not waiting around to find out!” He started to walk away again, but was forced to stop when Rex grabbed him by the arm. “Unhand me me you fossil freak!”

“Weevil...” Rex's expression and voice were suddenly concerned. Ever since that day in the Duel World, he had thought Weevil was just mad at him for being on good terms with someone the Bug Duelist personally hated. But those words just now... “You don't think I'm gonna stop caring about you or something, do you?”

For a split second, the look on Weevil's face was almost vulnerable, and Rex was sure he'd hit the mark; then his hand was being smacked away, and Weevil's expression was angry again. “Since when have you cared about me in the first place?”

All the frustration he'd felt a moment ago suddenly came rushing back, and Rex found himself grabbing Weevil by the front of the shirt and pulling him forward. “You titanic moron, I care about you more than anything!”

The words shocked them both into silence. There was a moment's delay before Weevil's stunned face flushed red, and Rex knew his face had to look the same—if not exaggeratedly so. He released his grip on the bug-embroidered fabric and took a step back, coughing awkwardly into his fist. Burying his hands deep into his pockets, he looked at the ground, away from the other Duelist. Weevil could have taken that moment to abscond, but from the sound of it, he didn't even move to smooth down his shirt.

The thick silence between them seemed to stretch on forever. A city filled with evening life hummed around them, but all Rex's brain could register was the presence of his companion and the pounding of his own heart.

“Do you remember,” Rex eventually spoke, his voice quiet, “when we went to Kaiba Land?”

It seemed ages before Weevil responded. “You mean when we spent three weeks trekking across a desert just to get one-shotted by that stuck-up German weirdo?” he grumbled.

A small smile found it's way onto Rex's face for a moment. “Yeah. That was fun.”

“ _Losing_ was fun?”

Rex finally looked up. “Losing with you was fun.”

Weevil stared at him blankly, lips slightly parted as though he wanted to say something but didn't know what. It was just as well—Rex wasn't sure he could stop until he finally got these feelings off his chest.

“So was trekking across the desert. And stealing that bag of weird gold stuff from Yugi before his creepy friend showed up. And when there was that crazy storm that seemed almost like the end of the world...”

Rex clutched at the fabric of his pockets. “I can't look back on all that stuff and think it was really that bad, because you were there. I was getting to spend time with you. That was always more important to me than rare cards, or getting revenge, or whatever we were running around trying to do.”

The blank look on Weevil's face was slowly beginning to change into something more emotional; Rex desperately hoped this meant his words were getting through. “I've always felt so comfortable around you. Everything bad in my life just takes a backseat when you're around, and I feel like I can do stuff I'd only dream about otherwise.”

A lump was forming in Rex's throat now; he swallowed, determined to talk through it. “Weevil, what I'm trying to say is that you're my best friend, and nothin's gonna change that. Yeah people change, and feelings change, but there are some things in life that are just... _fundamental_. That's what you an' me are.” The Dino Duelist attempted a grin. “So you don't hafta freak out like this! Your buddy Rex isn't going anywhere.”

Some fearful part of Rex wanted to look away, but he knew he needed to keep eye contact—if he wavered, he couldn't be sure that Weevil would believe how much he meant every word.

Perhaps because he was focused so hard on holding his gaze, Rex was caught off guard when the blue eyes he was staring into suddenly filled with tears. A choked sound escaped Weevil's quivering lips, and the next moment he was sobbing into his hands.

Rex didn't know how to react. He'd only ever known Weevil to cry when something bad happened—but what had he said wrong? Where in his speech had he screwed up? Rex moved forward, hands raised as if to touch the other Duelist in some comforting way—but he had no idea what he was doing. “W-Weevil?”

The Bug Duelist suddenly launched himself into Rex's chest, causing Rex to stumble back a few steps and instinctively wrap his arms around his friend to keep them both from tumbling over. Weevil's arms were around him as well, clutching at the back of his jacket as he sobbed into Rex's shirt.

“Y-y-you're always such a _s-sap_ Rex...!”

The stiffness in Rex's posture faded. He hadn't said anything wrong—it seemed that Weevil had just found no other way of dealing with Rex's little emotional speech. The brunet adjusted his arms so that his end of the hug was more natural, and grinned. “Well, hey, some bugs like sap right?”

Weevil gave a large sniff. “You're s-so dumb,” came his muffled reply. Rex just let his cheek rest against his companion's hair, still grinning.

They remained that way until Weevil's sobs had dissipated into tiny sniffles, at which point the Bug Duelist finally pulled away. Rex noted his face was very red as he wiped his nose on his sleeve, and pondered if it was only from the crying. “Don't you dare mention this to _anybody, ever_ ,” Weevil threatened with another small sniffle. “I'd never hear the end of it if somebody like Wheeler heard about me bawling my eyes out like this.”

Rex couldn't help but laugh at that. “I'm actually pretty sure Joey's seen you do that himself. You cry at the drop of a hat.”

Weevil looked at him indignantly. “I– I do not!”

“You absolutely do!” Rex insisted with a grin. “You cry if you lose a Duel, you cry if the store runs outta booster packs you wanted, you cry if you accidentally step on a bug...”

“All right, that's it!” Weevil took a step back, and for a split second Rex worried he'd gone too far at a fragile point. “Deck out, right now! We're going to Duel!”

Rex almost sighed with relief. “Fine by me!” The Dino Duelist started to take a more battle-ready stance, but stopped and looked around for the first time in a while. “Although... it's gettin' pretty dark.” Indeed, it seemed the sun had completely vanished from the sky during their conversation.

Weevil snickered. “What's that? Is little Rexy afraid of the dark?”

“As if!” Rex snapped, turning his attention back to the other Duelist. At that moment, he could have _thanked_ the dark for helping hide his embarrassment at hearing the nickname “Rexy” again. “I just don't wanna hear you complaining that you were too tired when I mop the floor with your deck of pests!”

“Tell you what,” Weevil said, putting his hands on his hips and quirking his head to the side with a grin. “Meet me at the game shop when it opens tomorrow, and we'll Duel then. Whoever loses has to buy the winner lunch.” His arms moved to cross over his chest. “Isn't it kind of me to give you time to prepare?”

Rex decided to ignore that last bit. A grin returned to his face. “All right! It's a date then!”

Weevil's expression fell into flustered alarm. “I– wha– I-It's not a date!”

Rex laughed, practically able to feel Weevil seething at him as he did so. “Whatever you say, Weevil.” He stepped forward to stand at the other Duelist's side. “Need some company getting home?” Feeling bold, he offered his hand.

Weevil stared at the hand for a moment, before taking it with a huff obviously meant to cover his embarrassment. “What, do you need me to hold on to you so you don't get distracted and wander off?” he jabbed, beginning to walk.

Rex gave him an impish grin and squeezed his hand. “Nah, I'm just afraid I might lose you in the dark 'cuz you're so short.”

“Wha– You're barely taller than I am you dino dork!”

As they made their way through the lamp-lit streets, hand in hand and bickering all the while, Rex couldn't help affirming to himself that for all that had changed and would continue to change in his life, what he had with Weevil was a bond that could never be undone.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I hope you enjoyed reading! Please, feel free to tell me of any glaring problems, typos, formatting errors, etc--as much as I figure most fanfic peeps understand, I'd rather fix them than just let them sit!


End file.
